Man follows woman into store restroom, tries to snap photos

Wednesday

Mar 4, 2009 at 1:10 PM

Gainesville police are looking for a man who rode a purple bike to the Home Depot store in mid-February, followed a woman into the restroom and then tried to photograph her by holding a cell phone camera underneath a stall divider.

By Karen VoylesStaff Writer

Gainesville police are looking for a man who rode a purple bike to the Home Depot store in mid-February, followed a woman into the restroom and then tried to photograph her by holding a cell phone camera underneath a stall divider.

“We don’t know who this guy is but we are hoping someone recognizes him,” said Detective Jim McCollum.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. on Feb. 18 and was partly documented in a series of images taken by surveillance cameras. A store employee also provided a detailed description of the man, McCollum said.

The first images showed the man approaching the store from the north on the purple bike. After parking the bike, the man took something out of a bag and carried it into the store. The next images show the man following the woman, then waiting a few minutes before entering the restroom behind her.

McCollum said that when the woman saw a hand holding the cell phone in a way that allowed it to be used to take pictures, she screamed and the man ran out. An employee saw the man fleeing and provided additional details about him.

The white man was about 5-foot-9, 140 to 150 pounds and had a thin build. He had thick, dark, collar-length hair and a well-trimmed goatee. His right arm was almost completely covered in tattoos. His left arm had fewer tattoos, but one that stood out – a black rectangle on the back of his left forearm.